the_twilight_agefandomcom-20200214-history
Session 71: The Prophecy (Part I)
__FORCETOC__ Synopsis The heroes Vishan Korban, Malcolm Astri, Wulf, Risera Farstrider, and Sam Govra are introduced, each of them having come together to work as a group as they serve in the Blood War. Notified of the sudden appearance of an ancient demi-plane and, being the foremost scholar on ancient ruins, Vishan and his group are sent to investigate. Within the demi-plane, the group finds a monastery and garden which have been kept and maintained, even though the demi-plane has been closed from the rest of the Outer Planes for thousands of years. Eventually, the party comes to the chapel within the monastery where they are greeted by a horrific sight, meet the caretaker of the monastery, and discover a prophecy that should not be. Details One of the more notable adventuring groups within the Blood War is the group of Vishan Korban, which consists of Malcolm Astri, Wulf, Risera Farstrider, and Sam Govra. Each of the team members came to the Blood War for their own reasons, and some have served there longer than others. While the group does not consist of the strongest of heroes, they are certainly not considered slouches either. The group is staying at their villa within a mortal quarter of the city when Vishan rushes in and tells the group to get ready. Apparently, a portal has been discovered in one of the demi-planes. The other side of the portal has been investigated and it has been confirmed that there is no Infernal taint, but there is an extremely old building, which is why Vishan is being called in. A scholar of Vishan’s caliber is highly respected as ancient buildings like this upon the demi-planes may be the homes of the Old Gods who hold keys to discovering some of the secrets or weaknesses of the Inferno. One such secret that the Goddesses and their forces are eager to learn is how the Demon King came to be. It is understood that the Demon King consumed the power of all the Demon Lords to become what he is today, but it is a mystery how he did it or how he came into the power to do so as he is an Immortal (and, therefore, very hard to change) and was not himself a Demon Lord. The group teleports to the nearest portal, next to the city of Heaven. Travelling through it they are taken to a gallery, a demi-plane created by the Goddesses earlier in their career that also happens to be a nexus and therefore heavily guarded. Walking several miles through the gallery, the group steps through another portal that takes them to the side of a mountain, where they descend to the valley to use the portal there. Vishan warns that they have been in allied territory since they’ve started, but are now entering neutral territory. They cross through the portal and end up in a small, swampy demi-plane – so small that they can see the ends of it. Looking around, Malcolm realizes that they are not the only ones there. Investigating further, Malcolm is able to deduce that there are several hydrodaemons and ceustodaemons hiding in the swamp. As neither hyrdodaemons nor ceustodaemons are very intelligent, it means that there must also be a leader. Heightening his senses, Malcolm sees that there are two sword hilts sticking out of the mud – evidence of a purrodaemon. As Vishan is explaining the characteristics of a purrodaemon, which includes detecting thoughts, all of the daemons rise from the muck and attack. The group makes short work of the daemons, and Vishan is surprised that the infernals were this close to allied territory. Investigating the bodies leads to the discovery of a coin on the corpse of the purrodaemon – a token of one of the Lords of Hell. Vishan comments that they will likely not be able to take the same route back. Coming to one of the outposts, a city of strange angles and stairways, the group spends the night there while Vishan informs Heaven of the group’s discovery. The following day the group travels through several other demi-planes until they reach the demi-plane where the new portal is located. A forested demi-plane, both Malcolm and Risera notice that there is evidence of a small Infernal having passed through here, likely a scout. Coming to the portal, the group greets the adventurers who have stabilized it and are guarding it for now. Both groups exchange information, and Vishan’s group is shocked to realize that the particular demi-plane that the portal leads to is dimensionally locked – meaning that if the portal destabilizes and traps the heroes there, they may be there for some time. Stepping through the portal, Vishan’s group arrives on a high cliff, overlooking a forest to their right and the ocean to their left. The road before them leads upwards to a building that is best described as a castle. Investigating the forest, Malcolm and Risera find that it is more like an orchard. However, it is not ordered like a normal orchard, though it is too tamed to be actual wild-land. The trees and the fruit they bear all seem to be actually real, though Risera notes that there are no animals, birds, or insects to assist in cross pollination. Using his spells to heighten his senses, Malcolm notices a footprint that Risera has difficulty seeing even after he points it out to her. It is not like any footprint Malcolm has seen. Rejoining the others, the group travels up to the castle which is also well kept. An open archway leads to an inner courtyard where a garden is growing, in a similar haphazard fashion which suggests that someone cares for it but doesn’t order it. The group tries to theorize what being could possibly have lived here for so long, have a need or desire for food, and have the patience to grow things (ruling out Fae or Exiles). The group can reach no conclusion, so Vishan, Malcolm, and Wulf go to investigate the inside of the building while Risera and Sam remain on watch. Vishan employs a Telepathic Bond so that each member can be aware of the other’s movements. Vishan, Malcolm, and Wulf travel along one of the hallways and find that the building has been impeccably kept. There are many open windows, and as they walk along they can hear the sounds of the ocean. One thing the trio notes is that there are no torch brackets or candle holders, suggesting that whoever lives here can see in the dark. Another thing the group notices is that the building is very open as there are no doors. One of the first rooms they come to has several long tables and chairs in it, with a hearth that has odd symbols inscribed along it. Vishan tries to decipher the writing while Malcolm takes a closer look at the fireplace, and finds that it has been recently cleaned. Going further the trio comes upon the kitchen. It is filled with the usual utensils, plates, and pots and pans, but all is clean and has neatly been put away. Looking in the pantry the group sees it is filled with vegetables. Vishan takes one of the cutting knives, makes an odd look, and hands it to Wulf to look over as he is more familiar with weapons. Wulf tests the edge of the knife, but as he brings it close to his skin, it automatically flattens to a dull edge. As he holds it, Wulf realizes that the blade is more real than anything he’s ever held. Alarmed that the group is becoming less real, Vishan takes a closer look at Wulf and the knife, and says, while the group is not becoming less real, the blade is certainly “more” real. The only explanation for such a thing is that the cutting knife is made of souls, which would make the kitchen knife either inherently evil or inherently good, depending on the purpose, but it is neither. It simply is. Vishan decides to check upstairs, and Malcolm employs True Seeing, becoming more restless and uneasy as the trio explores the castle. A quick check in with Risera and Sam informs them that nothing has changed outside. As Vishan, Wulf, and Malcolm mount the stairs to the upper floor, Malcolm hears the sharp intake of breath behind him. Whirling around, Malcolm sees nothing. On the upper floor, the trio find bedrooms, all similarly unadorned and spartan as the rooms downstairs, having only a plain wooden bed with a straw mattress and one wash basin. Going from room to room, the group finds only one bedroom that has any bedding on it, and is as immaculately kept as the rest of the building. Vishan then realizes that the building is not so much a castle as it is a monastery. Moving onwards, the trio come to the first set of doors in the place, with a similar inscription as what was on the hearth. If the place is a monastery as they assume, it is where the chapel would be. Wulf goes to open the door, and two things happen. The door screeches on its hinges and practically comes apart in Wulf’s hands, as Malcolm hears a small gasp behind them. Malcolm turns swiftly to look behind them but sees nothing. Vishan says “Oh my” as the horrific scene behind the doors are laid before them. While the room is a chapel as they assumed, with pews and stained glass windows, the room is littered with skeletons, ancient skeletons that crumble to dust as Wulf touches them, skeletons that had died violent deaths at each other’s hands, skeletons which all carry a blade made of the same metal as the kitchen knife downstairs. Vishan moves to the center of the room, where there is a small pulpit holding an open book, and tries to decipher the writing. Malcolm and Wulf investigate the room further. Wulf, surveying the damage, realizes that this was as senseless as violence could get, and a madness must have taken the people so that they slaughtered one another. The two also notice that the skeletons are not of any creature they know – the spine and neck are not like a human’s, the hip bones are too narrow, and they don’t have any collarbone. As well, the skulls are too elongated. Vishan comes to the conclusion that the writing within the book is a poem, and is shocked to realize that the demi-plane and the building not only predates the Great War...it predates the arrival of the Star Races. Looking at the stained glass windows, they see on one side a group of humanoid creatures overseen by a purple creature with tentacles. On the other side, the same purple tentacled creature is cowering beneath the humanoids. Asking Vishan what the monster is, Vishan explains that it is likely an illithid. Asking Vishan if he knows of any creatures that overthrew their illithid overlords and how they did it, a voice replies “Gith”...but it is not Vishan’s. Whirling around, blade and bow in hand, the trio see a tall, thin yellow skinned man standing at the doorway, who is of similar build to the skeletons on the floor. The man raises his hands, points to the stained glass window and repeats “Gith”, and then gestures to himself and says “Githzerai”. Through a complicated conversation which involves a long dead language, body language, and the man learning more of the common tongue through telepathy, the trio find out that the man (whom they call Githzerai because he does not give his actual name) is the last of the Githzerai race, a people who freed themselves from enslavement by the illithids and who are adept at the use of psionics. Showing his own blade as an example, Githzerai demonstrates the fluidity of the metal and explains that it is made from his own soul. With some difficulty, Githzerai explains that the people within the chapel killed themselves because of the prophecy in the book, a prophecy that came from “outside” as he calls it, and tells of the coming of the Beast. He explains further that the Beast isn’t simply one creature, and can get “inside”. The Githzerai within the chapel slayed themselves in fear of the coming of such a thing, but Githzerai escaped, fleeing from the chapel because, as he calls himself, he was a “coward”. Githzerai then lived in solitude for nearly ten thousand years, until he decided it was time to open the plane and share with the world the warning conveyed by the book. He had decided it was the right time because he is dying. Vishan goes back to trying to decipher the prophecy while Malcolm asks Githzerai how he was able to stay unnoticed and hide from the group. With a leap Githzerai gets behind Malcolm, and manages to stay out of Malcolm’s sight even as the Shifter turns around and around. Wulf explains that it’s easy to hide from someone if you know where they’re going to look, which Githzerai would know through his telepathy. Going to give Githzerai a playful punch on the shoulder, Malcolm also realizes that Githzerai is a strong combatant as, in an instant, he grabs Malcolm’s wrist and flips the Shifter upon his back. Vishan reads the prophecy, growing more and more perplexed as it is impossible for divinations to predict what will occur beyond 3000 years, and here is a prophecy that came nearly 10,000 years ago. As Vishan reads the last line, he is shocked when the prophecy refers to Lincaeum by name, indicating that is where the “Beast” will be born. Sam suddenly indicates in the telepathic bond that they’re in need of aid. Rushing back to the hallway and to (or through in Wulf’s case) the window, Malcolm and Wulf look back to the portal...and see a stream of ugly Infernals pouring through it. First Appearances *Vishan Korban *Malcolm Astri *Wulf *Risera Farstrider *Sam Govra *Koba